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Professional Continuing Education

A number of professional licensing schemes require that participants, in order to maintain their license, must attend professional continuing education programs. The requirements vary from program to program, however they often have rules and/or requirements in common. Our photovoltaic courses strive to meet the qualification requirements of as many of these programs as possible.

Typically the issuing agencies (such as the Ohio Professional Engineers and Professional Surveyors) do not pre-approve courses. Participants must submit evidence of completion and then a percentage of the renewal applications are audited for compliance. The amount of education varies, as does the terminology used by the different agencies.

For example, the Ohio Professional Engineers and Professional Surveyors require: Thirty (30) CPD hours are required biennially.If you are registered as both an Ohio P.E. AND an Ohio P.S. (DUAL), you will need to complete a minimum of 10 of the 30 required hours in engineering-related coursework or activities and a minimum of 10 of the 30 required hours in surveying-related coursework or activities.

A CPD is defined as a continuing professional development, and is often referred to by other agencies as a PDH, or professional development hour or an LU, learning unit. Typically organizations define PDH as one hour of classroom instruction (minimum 50 minutes actual instruction). Other definitions include:

Three questions organizations typically ask to determine if the course qualifies for continuing education credit:.

One - Is the activity, course or seminar relevant to the license held and does it include technical, ethical or managerial content?

Two - Is the provider of the course, seminar or activity reputable and one that can demonstrate knowledge and expertise on the subject matter?

Three -Does the provider supply a course outline and a record of attendance?

If the answer to these questions is yes, then the courses will likely meet the organization's CPD requirement.

Blue Rock Station will provide all attendees with a certificate of attendance that contains all the information necessary to comply with most agency's stated record keeping requirements. If specific (and unusual) information is required for a particular agency, let us know and we will strive to comply with that requirement as well. Additionally, Blue Rock Station maintains records of student attendance for a minimum of five years and can re-issue certificates of completion should yours be lost during the renewal period.

Examples of organizations that require continuing education to renew their licenses....